Wearing the appropriate apparel and bringing the correct gear is essential when adventuring in wilderness areas. Many of our Yukon hiking areas are alpine and mountainous in nature. Although the average daytime temperatures in the summer months are around 20°C, it is not uncommon to experience chilling winds or sudden changes in weather while up on the mountain ridges. In fact, it can be warm and sunny one minute and the next a rain shower or in some instances snow shower is upon you. Therefore, we recommend that guests bring the following suggested clothing for your hiking or aurora borealis viewing trip with us. 

WHAT WE PROVIDE

On all hiking trips we provide high-tech mountaineering tents and excellent sleeping bags. We also bring high quality fly-fishing gear along for those guests who do not own their own. All of our gear is constantly being updated, ensuring that our guests receive quality equipment that has seen very little previous use.

• Large (70 litre) backpack (for backpacking trips). Note: If you own your own backpack that is about 70 litres feel free to bring it.
• Warm sleeping bag and freshly laundered cotton liner bag
• a foam sleeping pad
• tents and ground sheets
• group tarp
• all group and individual cooking and dining gear
• fishing gear - both spinning and fly fishing equipment.
• emergency personal locating beacon , SAT phone, GPS
• first aid kit
• bear spray

*Please Note: Valuables, plane tickets etc. can be left at Uncommon Journeys

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING

Hiking or Aurora Viewing Clothing

Your hiking clothing must work as a system that wicks away perspiration, insulates you from the cold and protects you from the wind. Our preferred system is made up of several layers. This allows you to easily adjust your clothing to changes in the weather and changes in your heat output.

• The First Layer: the first layer next to your skin must wick perspiration away from your skin to keep you dry and warm. Capilene, by Patagonia, is excellent. Polypropylene is good as well and so is merino wool long underwear. Cotton is inappropriate as it does not wick moisture but rather stays wet.

   

  • 2-4 pair of underwear. 50/ 50 polyester/cotton is best but 100% cotton is ok.
  • 2 sets of long underwear. Polypropylene, Capilene, merino wool or silk is great. Tops and bottoms are required. Cotton is not appropriate as it stays wet too long
  • 2 pair of heavy socks. Wool or synthetic blend.
  • 2 pair liner socks. Polypropylene, polyester, or silk. These are thin socks worn next to your feet to lessen the chance of blisters while hiking.
  • 2 T-shirts. 50/50 polyester/cotton is best, all cotton is ok. One short sleeve and one longsleeve is ideal. (Bring light colours to reflect the sun and the bugs!).
  • 1 pair shorts -nylon or polyester “quick dry” that can be worn as a bathing suit as well (men).
• The Second Layer: the second layer (or layers) provides insulation. This layer needs to retain your body heat without restricting movement. Pile or polar fleece are great. Wool is not as good as it holds moisture and is difficult to dry especially on a camping trip.

   

  • 1 long sleeved zip top. Zippered turtleneck 100 weight pile or fleece or expedition weight Capilene (sweatshirt weight but not cotton).
  • 1 pair wind pants - nylon or polyester “quick dry” are great.
  • 1 pair medium weight (200 weight) pile or fleece pants to wear under rain pants on cold days.
• The Third Layer: the third layer must offer protection from the wind and rain. The more wind proof a garment often is the less breathable it will be. Gore-tex is a good choice as it is very windproof. Completely waterproof, non-breathable garments provide the most reliable rain protection.

   

  • 1 pile or fleece jacket. 300 weight (thick) - What you will wear when it gets cold at night. The thicker jacket should be sized large enough to fit over a long underwear top and 100 weight zippered top.
  • 1 pile or fleece vest or 100 weight zippered pile jacket. That extra piece that makes all the difference if you get wet etc...
  • 1 rain suit. The most important clothing you will bring. It does not rain that often during the Yukon summer but when it does watch out! Invest in a good quality suit (jacket and pants) that you will have forever. Things to look for in a good suit: large hood with drawcord around the face. Wrist closures (velcro is great), seams that are glued or taped to make them waterproof, a high collar to protect your neck from getting wet. And large pockets with velcro closures and nice bright colors so you are easy to spot and look good in photos! New Gore-tex whose waterproofness has not been compromised by hard use is fine.
  • 1 wind jacket to wear over your thick pile jacket when it is cold. Gore-tex is fine.
  • 1 pair of gloves. It can get cold on the hands (pile or polyester fleece gloves are good but leather and cotton are not)
  • 1 baseball hat or sun hat
  • 1 warm hat - Pile or polyester fleece is best as it will dry quickly. Wool is ok but dries slowly. Make sure the hat covers your ears and if possible has ties to tie it under your chin so the wind will not blow it away
  • 1 bug jacket - Special jackets made with fine mesh to keep the bugs away (not always required – contact us for details

Some of our shorter trips do not demand as an extensive a list of clothing. If you have any questions with this list or any items, please do not hesitate to contact us for clarification.

Footwear

• One pair of hiking boots that have been broken in well. This is not the time to be trying out brand new boots! Wear them around the house for as long as it takes to break them in comfortably.
• Light weight hiking boots are fine for hiking trips based out of the yurts. Mid to heavy weight hiking boots are better for backpacking trips where you will be carrying a full backpack with camping gear.
• One pair of comfortable shoes for wearing around camp (runners or sport sandals)

Personal Gear

• "stuff sacs" nylon bags to separate your clothing into when backpacking
• toiletries – including sunscreen and lipbalm
• extra medications if required (they should be well waterproofed)
• camera and film ( we suggest you have a case or pouch of some kind to carry your camera in)
• sunglasses that block out all ultraviolet rays UVA and UVB.(bring extra if prescription)
• bug repellent
• small (30-40 litre) day pack with waterproof liner bags (garbage bags are fine) to put raingear etc in and for day hikes.

Optional Items

• pencil and journal
• paperback book
• binoculars
• bandana
• your favorite fishing rod, lures, flies etc.
• your favorite sleeping pad (ie. Thermarest)
• small knife
• garbage bag for sliding down summer snowslopes!

If you have any questions or concerns about any items on this list please do not hesitate to contact our office. We can explain items much more fully and can suggest alternatives for you that are the least expensive. In fact, guests have had their local outdoor retail store phone us for information in the past. Whitehorse also has an excellent outdoor retail store that can provide you with any items which you have forgotten to pack.